Teacher Appreciation Day

In Republic of China (Taiwan) Teacher Appreciation Day is celebrated on September 28. The day honors teachers' virtues, pains, and also their contribution not only to their own students but also to the whole society. People often make use of the day to express their gratitude to their teachers, such as paying them a visit or sending them a card. This date was chosen to commemorate the birth of Confucius, believed to be the model master educator in ancient China.
The festival celebration occurs in the temples of Confucius around the island, known as the "Grand Ceremony Dedicated to Confucius" (祭孔大典). The ceremony begins at 5 AM with drum beats. 54 musicians dress in robes with blue belts, 36 (or 64) dancers dress in yellow with green belts. Three animals -- the cow, the goat, and the pig -- are sacrificed. The hair plucked from these sacrificed animals are called the Hairs of Wisdom. In addition, local education institutes and civil offices award certain teachers for their excellence and positive influence.

I started the day at 3:45 am to attend the Teacher Appreication Day ceremony at the Confusius Temple. It is the oldest temple in Taiwan. As you can see, there were sacrificed animals (yes, I did go up and pluck some of the cow's hair) and the Mayor of Tainan City drank the blood of the animals in honor of the day. YIKES!! The ceremony was very solemn. You can see the honored teachers from each school dressed in white. My principal gave me his badge/ticket for the event and with that I also received a very nice calligraphy pen. You can also see a few of the cards I received today--many were homemade.